Simon Santoso fails but Indonesia overpowers South Korea in Thomas Cup Preliminary Round
Indonesia’s ace shuttler Simon Santoso failed to prove his worth against Lee Hyun Il but Indonesia managed to overpower South Korea with a 3-2 win in the quarter-final of Thomas Cup Preliminary Round in Macau, on Thursday, February 16.
Santoso, who is currently World Number 10, opened his campaign in impressive fashion against an experienced Korean opponent but failed to maintain his domination in the match and lost it in three games with a decent margin.
The Indonesian played aggressive badminton in the opening points of first set and managed to put pressure on his senior rival, who failed to dominate the pace of rallies in first half.
Santoso remained on track throughout the game and did not let Lee Hyun to reduce the deficit. He managed to win the opening set with a superb score of 21-14.
In the second game, Lee Hyun lifted up his level and displayed his elevated skills to tackle the aggression of Santoso. He played with precision and finished the rallies without missing any opportunity. He managed a comfortable lead in the first half.
After the break, Santoso tried to level the score by gearing up his speed but failed as his Korean rival was in complete control of rallies. The Indonesian also made numerous unforced errors and eventually lost the game with a 15-21 score on the board.
In the final set, both elite shuttlers put up thrilling show of fast and attacking badminton as they hit the bird hard from rear-court area and also followed their smashes to execute net killings. The score was tight until the one-minute break.
After the interval, the Korean geared up his speed and controlled the bird at net which helped him to set up a comfortable lead on the score board.
On the other hand, Santoso failed to remain positive as he executed many negative strokes and kept on missing the targeted areas.
Santoso could not play composed badminton in the concluding phase of final set and lost it with a margin of 16-21. The overall score of this Men’s Singles fight was 21-14, 15-21 and 16-21.
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